Humanity
by captjackspeanut
Summary: Bella learns something about Edward's past. Oneshot drabble length.


Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

A/N: This is just something that popped into my head yesterday. Hope you enjoy it.

Humanity

I stared at the paper in front me reading the questions silently in my head. I have had this assignment for weeks now, but I had yet to gain the courage I needed to confront Edward. He knew so much about me, but I realized I knew almost nothing about his past, what had happened to him since his birth into the vampire world.

"What are you thinking about love?" his voice floated to me as he walked past on his way to his desk.

"Um…" I hesitated, not sure how to ask him properly.

"Bella," Edward sighed exasperated. "Just tell me what it is."

I stared at the paper while the words tumbled out of my mouth, "Can I ask you a few questions about World War II?" I felt him sit next to me on the couch, his smell overwhelming my senses, almost making me forget about the assignment.

"Are you asking _me_ for a particular reason?" his eyes were light and golden; he was teasing me.

I glared and stood up. If he wasn't going to take this seriously, I would just ask Carlisle and be done with it. He grabbed my wrist before I could move from the couch and tugged me into his lap, his arms forming an indestructible cage around me. His nose traced along my jaw before I felt his lips kiss the soft spot behind my ear, his breath tickling me at the same time.

"What is it you want to know Bella?"

I tried to breathe normally and after a couple minutes, I could form a coherent thought. I had to think hard to remember the questions on the sheet that was now somewhere on the floor, probably under the couch.

"Where were you when you heard about Pearl Harbor?"

"Ypsilanti, Michigan," he answered so promptly that it surprised me.

I had almost expected him to put up a fight, but I was glad I was wrong. He was finally sharing a piece of his past with me and I reveled in the feeling of seeing part of himself revealed to me. I snuggled further into his chest and listened intently to the rest of his answer.

"It was hard for me, not to join in the war. I had felt the same during World War I, but then I was struck by the influenza, as you know. I fought with Carlisle, but it is hard to argue with reason," he smiled at me. "People in those days lived for radio, it was how we got the news and it was also our entertainment. We knew something was wrong when they made a special broadcast and I can still hear it clearly in my head, though I wasn't frightened; I can't die, not easily anyways. The human world changed after that and I found myself working in defense plants at night because I was too young to join the army and Carlisle forbade it. I could not keep my secret in such a setting and I eventually understood that, but it took me time to get over the fact."

"Why would you want to fight in a war? I thought with you being a vampire, that war would be trivial or something."

Edward laughed lightly, "I thought if I fought, that maybe I would perhaps feel more human and there was also the fact that I would be able to take down at least twice as many men as the normal soldier. I would be helping the country."

"Did you know anyone personally who went to war?"

Edward stiffened; I was about to take back the question when his mouth opened.

"I knew having friendships with humans was bad, but this boy never shied away from us. He reminds me a lot of you actually, but not as clumsy. His name was Peter Muir and for the brief time that he was here, we were friends. He was a year older than I was and after we were attacked, he joined up right away, leaving me behind. I never heard from him once he made it to France and I knew the worse had happened."

I grabbed Edward's hand and gave it a squeeze. I never knew he had known another human, but Edward had always been different. I could not even imagine living through everything he had seen, even if he was indestructible physically, the mind was not.

"I never felt anymore than friendship for him and even though losing him hurt some, I cannot imagine living without you Bella. Peter brought out some of my humanity, but you taught me how to live again, that I have the ability to love unconditionally. I have learned more from loving you than a century of history could ever hope to reveal."

I looked up into his topaz eyes and felt myself drifting. How could he ever have seen himself as a monster when the rest of the world most assuredly saw him as an angel? This fallen angel that strived everyday to prove himself better than the monster than inhabited his body, but never his soul.

"Any more questions love?" he kissed my forehead.

I shook my head, "I think I have enough to write a paper. Thank you Edward, for everything."

I felt his chest move with laughter and another kiss on my forehead.

"No Bella, thank you," he whispered.

"For what?"

"Believing in me."

I smiled and snuggled closer to his stone chest as he tightened his grip on me.


End file.
